Monday, September 19, 2016

The Christmas Cookie Shop Book Blast

New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author Ginny Baird brings you the start of a brand new holiday
series…

THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE SHOP

(Christmas Town, Book 1)

Hannah Winchester is down on her
luck and disillusioned with love, but her fortunes are about to change. When
Hannah inherits a defunct bakery in East Tennessee, her first thought is to
sell it and settle her substantial debt. Then the townsfolk welcome her warmly
and she’s taken with the joyful spirit of the place, where stores employ
holiday themes and residents have surnames like Christmas and Claus. After a
handsome lawman comes to her aid dressed as Santa, Hannah learns he’s more than
a hot guy in a red suit and shiny black boots. Sheriff Carter Livingston has
joined in the cause of rejuvenating the town, and he’s encouraging her to do
her part. Hannah’s great-grandmother, Lena, sold special holiday cookies that
brought hope and renewal to the people of Christmas Town. Yet Hannah has plans
elsewhere and isn’t looking to stay. Can she possibly reopen the shop known for
kindling romance—without sacrificing her heart?

Excerpt:

The last turn she took was
supposed to lead straight to the town roundabout, the one that connected with
South Main Street. Hannah had been told to watch for a flagpole, the
courthouse, a library, and a big town sign. But all she saw ahead of her in
these near-whiteout conditions was more snow! That’s when a flashing blue
glimmer in her driver’s side mirror caught her eye. Thank goodness! Help has
arrived. It had to be a cop figuring her for a distressed motorist. Hannah
certainly couldn’t get any more distressed than this.

Hannah hadn’t journeyed to
Tennessee for a leisurely visit. She’d inherited a business she knew absolutely
nothing about, and she was determined to sell it at the first opportunity. She
tried to imagine herself running a cookie shop, but just couldn’t. The only
picture that came to mind involved huge plumes of black smoke curling out an
open doorway. Where some people had a brown thumb in the garden, Hannah wore a
charred oven mitt in the kitchen. She couldn’t even microwave popcorn without
the bag catching fire.

Hannah spun in her seat to better
view the approaching figure in dark clothing. No, wait. It’s a matching red
tunic and slacks worn beneath an open field coat. The full silhouette of a man
emerged from a snowy swirl and Hannah’s heart thumped. It wasn’t just any
outfit; it was a Santa suit. Though she’d never seen Old Saint Nick looking
quite like that. Rather than being short and stout, he was tall and built, with
an obviously solid chest and a manly jaw thinly disguised by a fake white
beard. A Santa hat sat slightly askew on his head, partially covering short
brown hair. He strode to her driver’s side window in shiny black boots and
tapped on the glass. Hannah goggled at the apparition, then lowered her window
a crack.

Evergreen eyes peered in at her
and Hannah caught her breath. She didn’t even know eyes came in that color.
They reminded her of Christmas trees: the really fresh kind, not the plastic
sort that normally stood on an end table in the corner of her apartment.

“Everything okay in there? I saw
that you’d pulled over. No wonder, really.” Little lines crinkled around his
eyes, lending them warmth beneath the wind’s chill. “Given the weather.” He
tugged off his fake beard and stuffed it in his pocket, exposing a rugged face.

Whoa, he was a good-looking
Santa. She judged him to be a few years older than her but not more than five.
As if his age mattered! Hannah wasn’t in Tennessee to stay and she certainly
wasn’t in the market for a man. She’d had enough boyfriends to last her, thank
you very much. And every…single…one of them had let her down. Love. Just one
more four-letter word that had been canned from her vocabulary.

Romance writer Ginny Baird has
published novels in print and online and received screenplay options from
Hollywood for her family and romantic comedy scripts. Whether writing
lighthearted romantic comedy or spine-tingling romantic suspense, she delights
in delivering heartwarming stories.

She is a New York Times and USA
Today bestselling author, a Top 10 Best Seller on Kindle, NOOK and iBooks, and
a #1 Best Seller in several Romance and Women's Fiction categories. When she's
not writing, Ginny enjoys cooking, biking and spending time with her family in
Virginia. Ginny loves hearing from her readers! She invites you to visit her
website and connect with her on social media.